Fluid Thinking. Innovative Solutions™

Coast Southwest is a leading full-service, chemical distribution and ingredient technology company. From six strategic locations, we serve manufacturers and formulators for personal care and household products throughout the United States with high-quality functional ingredients, on-time deliveries, and exceptional customer service.

Discover Coast Southwest

Coast Southwest was incorporated in 1985 in Placentia, CA as a regional distributor. Today the company serves customers across the U.S. and has expanded operations to six locations, including an innovation center for research and development in Arlington, TX.

Coast Southwest sponsors the California YBTC! Program, which enhances K-8 science education by introducing the science of chemistry as it relates to our everyday lives. The capstone of the program is the annual California YBTC Challenge.

We provide a wide range of preservative systems and solutions, from classic preservation to contemporary and custom solutions, specifically designed and refined to meet the ever-changing needs of today’s personal care market.

Oleochemicals

We offer a vast array of basic oleochemical products from the foremost producers around the world.

Coast Southwest provides sample formulas that chemists can use to develop a variety of applications, from leading- edge products that use the latest in ingredients and technologies to economy products for the mass market.

Highlighting the inventiveness and trends shaping our industry and its future.

“Each day, cosmetic products are sold to consumers across the U.S. – some to children under the age of 18, still in the formative years of development. These products are used as part of daily beauty and cleansing routines, often times on the skin’s most sensitive areas, like the face, eyelids and lips. That’s why it’s so important that cosmetic products are safe, properly labeled and free of contamination.” – March 5, 2019 FDA Statement

Is there new cosmetic industry regulation ahead? Recents events point to signs that the industry could come under more stringent regulation in the coming years…

On Tuesday, March 12, 2019 The U.S. House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy met for the first time this year to hold a hearing on the Public Health Risks of Carcinogens in Consumer Products. Specifically, the committee met to discuss the scientific evidence of health risks from long-term use of consumer products containing talc.

Additionally, the Committee discussed if the Food and Drug Administration should be granted more authority for mandating the safety recalls of cosmetic products, as the FDA currently has no authority to compel companies to issue recalls.

“Consumers use these products trusting they are safe and will not cause harm to themselves or their loved ones. Today’s hearing was just our first step in protecting consumers from potentially hazardous or carcinogenic products,” said Subcommittee Chairman Raja Krishnamoorthi, Democrat-Illinois.

Currently, The Food and Drug Administration does has the authority to require warning labels for potentially hazardous products. However, the FDA has yet has to use that authority to warn about the potential dangers of asbestos-contaminated talc.

In addition to the Congressional members, three key witnesses also spoke at the meeting on Tuesday:

Scott Faber, Vice President of Government Affairs at the Environmental Working Group

Dr. Anne McTiernan, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Marvin Salter, the Son of Deceased Ovarian Cancer Patient

Bipartisan interest in more regulation?

Tuesday’s meeting also sparked media interest, as the issues raised seem to garner support and raise concern from both sides of the aisle.

“I think there’s actually high bipartisan interest in this. Although some members on the other side expressed concern about how regulations might be fashioned to deal with the issues at hand, I did not hear anyone either defend the practices the industry is currently engaged in or say regulation is inappropriate in this particular case,” said Chairman Rep. Krishnamoorthi, in an interview with Vox.

“The next step — and I think we’re probably leaning in this direction — is to open a full-scale investigation by the Oversight Committee into what exactly is going on in the industry. We also need to hear in a more formal way exactly how industry members answer the various questions that are out there right now. After that, the committees of jurisdiction can take up the issue of what legislation needs to plug the holes that obviously exist in the regulatory structure that allowed this problem to develop in the first place.”

With increased concern over the Claire’s and Justice contaminated product findings, and the continued saga of the Johnson & Johnson talc, an increased eye on the regulation of the cosmetic industry and the authority of the FDA is sure to be a hot topic in the coming months – and potentially bring about massive industry change. There will obviously be a great deal of debate, one hopes, about whether or not it’s absolutely warranted.

For video of the meeting and a full recap of The U.S. House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy meeting on March 12, 2019, please click here.